People_

Dr Thomas White

ARC Discovery Early Career Fellow
Senior Lecturer
School of Life and Environmental Sciences

Email

thomas.white@sydney.edu.au

Address

A12 - Macleay Building

The University of Sydney

Websites

Homepage

Biographical details

I'm an evolutionary ecologist and entomologist, and I lead the Sensory and Evolutionary Ecology (SEE) Lab. We spend our time using lab and field experiments, modelling, and meta-analysis to answer questions of adaptive evolution and behaviour. In particular we are interested in how organisms gather and exchange information to solve life's daily challenges, and the ecological and evolutionary consequences of these processes. Non-model insects and invertebrates have proven a particular source of inspiration, with butterflies, flies, and spiders being mainstays in the lab, though we gladly use any system appropriate for the questions at hand.

Research interests

Our current research is broadly centred on three themes:

Communication. All organisms need to gather and exchange information with the world at large, and we are broadly interested in understanding the mechanisms, causes and evolutionary consequences of this basic challenge. Current projects are focused on understanding how suites of traits coevolve to enable communication in ‘noisy’ natural environments, how the information encoded in diverse visual cues (colour, pattern, motion) is integrated to inform crucial decisions, and the vital role of communication in shaping local adaptation and survival amidst unpredictable environmental change. We also enjoy testing and extending methods for analysing colour and vision in nature, as well as developing software that improves the accessibility of such tools.
Dis- and misinformation in nature. Deception and misinformation is rife in the natural world, including (and increasingly) among humans. Spiders pose as flowers to lure insects to their death, defenceless prey mimic the signals of the chemically defended to survive, and malicious or ill-informed actors stoke division via social media at unprecedented scale. We have an ongoing interest in misinformation, how it flows through biological and social networks, and its evolutionary consequences. The colour polymorphic lures of tropical spiders have proven a rich model in predator-prey deception, while flies present a window to sexual conflict, though many questions remain.
Pollinators in natural and managed systems.How do flower-visiting insects find, select, and remember floral resources? Can pollinators weigh information across modalities to overcome noise? What is the value of lesser-studied systems, like syrphid and muscid flies, to crop pollination? We are keen to understand the role of non-traditional insects as pollinators, from both fundamental and applied perspectives. Current projects span floral foraging and sensory ecology in flies and butterflies, and how cues across modalities reinforce and/or interfere to affect decision-making.

How do flower-visiting insects find, select, and remember floral resources? Can pollinators weigh information across modalities to overcome noise? What is the value of lesser-studied systems, like syrphid and muscid flies, to crop pollination? We are keen to understand the role of non-traditional insects as pollinators, from both fundamental and applied perspectives. Current projects span floral foraging and sensory ecology in flies and butterflies, and how cues across modalities reinforce and/or interfere to affect decision-making.

How do flower-visiting insects find, select, and remember floral resources? Can pollinators weigh information across modalities to overcome noise? What is the value of lesser-studied systems, like syrphid and muscid flies, to crop pollination? We are keen to understand the role of non-traditional insects as pollinators, from both fundamental and applied perspectives. Current projects span floral foraging and sensory ecology in flies and butterflies, and how cues across modalities reinforce and/or interfere to affect decision-making.

How do flower-visiting insects find, select, and remember floral resources? Can pollinators weigh information across modalities to overcome noise? What is the value of lesser-studied systems, like syrphid and muscid flies, to crop pollination? We are keen to understand the role of non-traditional insects as pollinators, from both fundamental and applied perspectives. Current projects span floral foraging and sensory ecology in flies and butterflies, and how cues across modalities reinforce and/or interfere to affect decision-making.

How do flower-visiting insects find, select, and remember floral resources? Can pollinators weigh information across modalities to overcome noise? What is the value of lesser-studied systems, like syrphid and muscid flies, to crop pollination? We are keen to understand the role of non-traditional insects as pollinators, from both fundamental and applied perspectives. Current projects span floral foraging and sensory ecology in flies and butterflies, and how cues across modalities reinforce and/or interfere to affect decision-making.

Teaching and supervision

I coordinate LIFE4000: Data and Technology for the Life Sciences, and BIOL2033: Biology of Insects (entomology), as well as teaching into various other units.

Themes

Animal behavior and ecophysiology, Ecology and Evolution

PhD and master's project opportunities

The dark side: weaving nocturnality into pollination resilience networks

Current research students

Project title	Research student
The evolutionary ecology of generalist pollination systems in Australian native flora	Georgie BRENNAN
The Origins and Dynamics of Invertebrate Sociality	Kristin HUBAKK
Information use and decision-making in jumping spiders	Rui SHI

Publications

By Type

Expand all

Book Chapters

White, T. (2018). Cryptic Coloration. In J. Vonk & T. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior, (pp. 1-3). Cham: Springer. [More Information]
White, T. (2018). Disruptive Coloration. In J. Vonk & T. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior, (pp. 1-3). Cham: Springer. [More Information]
O'Hanlon, J., White, T., Umbers, K. (2018). Visual Communication. In Alex Cordoba-Aguilar, Daniel Gonzalez-Tokman and Isaac Gonzalez-Santoyo (Eds.), Insect Behaviour: From Mechanisms to Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences, (pp. 158-173). Oxford: Oxford University Press. [More Information]

Journals

White, T. (2024). Deceptive pollinator lures benefit from physical and perceptual proximity to flowers. Ecology and Evolution, 14(3). [More Information]
McCormick, J., White, T., Middleton, E., Latty, T. (2024). Information cascades spread adaptive and maladaptive behaviours in group-living animals. Animal Behaviour, 209, 53-62. [More Information]
Silvasti, S., Kemp, D., White, T., Nokelainen, O., Valkonen, J., Mappes, J. (2024). The flashy escape: support for dynamic flash coloration as anti-predator defence. Biology Letters, 20(7), 20240303. [More Information]
Forster, C., Mourmourakis, F., Hochuli, D., White, T., Latty, T., Gloag, R. (2023). Flower choice by the stingless bee Tetragonula carbonaria is not influenced by colour-similarity to a higher-reward flower in the same patch. Apidologie, 54(2). [More Information]
Forster, C., Middleton, E., Gloag, R., Hochuli, D., White, T., Latty, T. (2023). Impact of empty flowers on foraging choice and movement within floral patches by the honey bee, Apis mellifera. Insectes Sociaux, 70(4), 413-422. [More Information]
Webster, G., White, T., Whiting, M. (2023). Male nuptial display colour and vocalisation appear to signal independent information in the whirring tree frog. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 77(6). [More Information]
Forster, C., Hochuli, D., Keith, R., Latty, T., White, T., Middleton, E. (2023). Social media conservation messaging mirrors age-old taxonomic biases in public domain. Austral Ecology. [More Information]
Lownds, R., Turbill, C., White, T., Umbers, K. (2023). The impact of elevated aestivation temperatures on the behaviour of bogong moths (Agrotis infusa). Journal of Thermal Biology, 113. [More Information]
Grames, E., Montgomery, G., Boyes, D., Dicks, L., Forister, M., Matson, T., Nakagawa, S., Prendergast, K., Taylor, N., Tingley, M., White, T., et al (2022). A framework and case study to systematically identify long-term insect abundance and diversity datasets. Conservation Science and Practice, 4(6). [More Information]
Drinkwater, E., Allen, W., Endler, J., Hanlon, R., Holmes, G., Homziak, N., Kang, C., Leavell, B., Lehtonen, J., Loeffler-Henry, K., White, T., et al (2022). A synthesis of deimatic behaviour. Biological Reviews, 97(6), 2237-2267. [More Information]
Herringe, C., Middleton, E., Boyd, K., Latty, T., White, T. (2022). Benefits and costs of social foraging in velvet worms. Ethology, 128(3), 197-206. [More Information]
Kemp, D., Edwards, W., White, T. (2022). Captivating color: Evidence for optimal stimulus design in a polymorphic prey lure. Behavioral Ecology, 33(4), 670-678. [More Information]
Vanderstock, A., Grandi-Nagashiro, C., Kudo, G., Latty, T., Nakamura, S., White, T., Soga, M. (2022). For the love of insects: gardening grows positive emotions (biophilia) towards invertebrates. Journal of Insect Conservation, 26(5), 751-762. [More Information]
White, T., Locke, A., Latty, T. (2022). Heightened condition dependent expression of structural coloration in the faces, but not wings, of male and female flies. Current Zoology, 68(5), 600-607. [More Information]
White, T., Latty, T., Umbers, K. (2022). The exploitation of sexual signals by predators: A meta-Analysis. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 289(1976). [More Information]
Tosetto, L., Williamson, J., White, T., Hart, N. (2021). Can the Dynamic Colouration and Patterning of Bluelined Goatfish (Mullidae; Upeneichthys lineatus) Be Perceived by Conspecifics? Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 96(3), 103-123. [More Information]
Ord, T., Blazek, K., White, T., Das, I. (2021). Conspicuous animal signals avoid the cost of predation by being intermittent or novel: confirmation in the wild using hundreds of robotic prey. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1952), 0706-1-0706-6. [More Information]
White, T., Latty, T. (2021). Flies improve the salience of iridescent sexual signals by orienting toward the sun. Behavioral Ecology, 31(6), 1401-1409. [More Information]
Saunders, M., Barton, P., Bickerstaff, J., Frost, L., Latty, T., Lessard, B., Lowe, E., Rodriguez, J., White, T., Umbers, K. (2021). Limited understanding of bushfire impacts on Australian invertebrates. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 14(3), 285-293. [More Information]
Butterworth, N., White, T., Byrne, P., Wallman, J. (2021). Love at first flight: wing interference patterns are species-specific and sexually dimorphic in blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 34(3), 558-570. [More Information]
White, T., Umbers, K. (2021). Meta-analytic evidence for quantitative honesty in aposematic signals. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1949), 20210679. [More Information]
Whitney, K., Smith, A., White, T., Williams, C. (2020). Birds Perceive More Intraspecific Color Variation in Bird-Pollinated Than Bee-Pollinated Flowers. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11, 590347. [More Information]
White, T., Vogel-Ghibely, N., Butterworth, N. (2020). Flies exploit predictable perspectives and backgrounds to enhance iridescent signal salience and mating success. The American Naturalist, 195(4), 733-742. [More Information]
Harvey, J., Heinen, R., Armbrecht, I., Basset, Y., Baxter-Gilbert, J., Bezemer, T., Böhm, M., Bommarco, R., Borges, P., Cardoso, P., Latty, T., White, T., et al (2020). International scientists formulate a roadmap for insect conservation and recovery. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 4, 174-176. [More Information]
Dalrymple, R., Kemp, D., Flores-Moreno, H., Laffan, S., White, T., Hemmings, F., Moles, A. (2020). Macroecological patterns in flower colour are shaped by both biotic and abiotic factors. New Phytologist, 228(6), 1972-1985. [More Information]
Blamires, S., Little, D., White, T., Kane, D. (2020). Photoreflectance/scattering measurements of spider silks informed by standard optics. Royal Society Open Science, 7(4), 192174. [More Information]
White, T., Kemp, D. (2020). Spider lures exploit insect preferences for floral colour and symmetry. Evolutionary Ecology, 34(4), 543-553. [More Information]
White, T. (2020). Structural colours reflect individual quality: a meta-analysis. Biology Letters, 16(4), 1-7. [More Information]
De Bona, S., White, T., Umbers, K. (2019). Fight or flight trade-offs and the defensive behaviour of the mountain katydid, Acripeza reticulata. Animal Behaviour, 159, 81-87. [More Information]
Paine, K., White, T., Whitney, K. (2019). Intraspecific floral color variation as perceived by pollinators and non-pollinators: evidence for pollinator-imposed constraints? Evolutionary Ecology, 33(4), 461-479. [More Information]
Gruson, H., White, T., Maia, R. (2019). lightr: import spectral data and metadata in R. The Journal of Open Source Software, 4(43), 1-4. [More Information]
O'Neill, S., White, T., Lynch, K., Kemp, D. (2019). Male guppies differ in daily frequency but not diel pattern of display under daily light changes. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 73(11), 1-12. [More Information]
Maia, R., Gruson, H., Endler, J., White, T. (2019). pavo 2: New tools for the spectral and spatial analysis of colour in R. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 10(7), 1097-1107. [More Information]
Blamires, S., Cerexhe, G., White, T., Herberstein, M., Kasumovic, M. (2019). Spider silk colour covaries with thermal properties but not protein structure. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 16(156), 1-9. [More Information]
Umbers, K., White, T., De Bona, S., Haff, T., Ryeland, J., Drinkwater, E., Mappes, J. (2019). The protective value of a defensive display varies with the experience of wild predators. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1-8. [More Information]
Dalrymple, R., Flores-Moreno, H., Kemp, D., White, T., Laffan, S., Hemmings, F., Hitchcock, T., Moles, A. (2018). Abiotic and biotic predictors of macroecological patterns in bird and butterfly coloration. Ecological Monographs, 88(2), 204-224. [More Information]
Maia, R., White, T. (2018). Comparing colors using visual models. Behavioural Ecology, 29(3), 649-659. [More Information]
Gray, M., Stansberry, M., Lynn, J., Williams, C., White, T., Whitney, K. (2018). Consistent shifts in pollinator-relevant floral coloration along Rocky Mountain elevation gradients. Journal of Ecology, 106(5), 1910-1924. [More Information]
White, T. (2018). Illuminating the Evolution of Iridescence. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 33(6), 374-375. [More Information]
Bulbert, M., White, T., Saporito, R., Kraus, F. (2018). Ontogenetic colour change in Oreophyrne ezra (Anura: Microhylidae) reflects an unusual shift from conspicuousness to crypsis but not in toxicity. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 123(1), 12-20. [More Information]
Lynch, K., White, T., Kemp, D. (2018). The effect of captive breeding upon adult thermal preference in the Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni). Journal of Thermal Biology, 78, 290-297. [More Information]
White, T., Rojas, B., Mappes, J., Rautiala, P., Kemp, D. (2017). Colour and luminance contrasts predict the human detection of natural stimuli in complex visual environments. Biology Letters, 13(9), 1-5. [More Information]
White, T., Kemp, D. (2017). Colour polymorphic lures exploit innate preferences for spectral versus luminance cues in dipteran prey. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 17(1), 1-10. [More Information]
Umbers, K., De Bona, S., White, T., Lehtonen, J., Mappes, J., Endler, J. (2017). Deimatism: a neglected component of antipredator defence. Biology Letters, 13(4), 1-5. [More Information]
Hose, G., Fryirs, K., Bailey, J., Ashby, N., White, T., Stumpp, C. (2017). Different depths, different fauna: habitat influences on the distribution of groundwater invertebrates. Hydrobiologia, 797(1), 145-157. [More Information]
White, T. (2017). Digest: Strengthening the link between sexual selection and color polymorphism. Evolution, 71(7), 1913-1914. [More Information]
White, T. (2017). Jewelled spiders manipulate colour-lure geometry to deceive prey. Biology Letters, 13(3), 1-5. [More Information]
White, T., Dalrymple, R., Herberstein, M., Kemp, D. (2017). The perceptual similarity of orb-spider prey lures and flower colours. Evolutionary Ecology, 31(1), 1-20. [More Information]
White, T., Kemp, D. (2016). Color polymorphic lures target different visual channels in prey. Evolution, 70(6), 1398-1408. [More Information]
White, T., Kemp, D. (2016). Colour polymorphism. Current Biology, 26(13), R516-R518. [More Information]
Dalrymple, R., Kemp, D., Flores-Moreno, H., Laffan, S., White, T., Hemmings, F., Tindall, M., Moles, A. (2015). Birds, butterflies, and flowers in the tropics are not more colourful than those in higher latitudes. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 24(12), 1424-1432. [More Information]
White, T., Dalrymple, R., Noble, D., O'Hanlon, J., Zurek, D., Umbers, K. (2015). Reproducible research in the study of biological coloration. Animal Behaviour, 106, 51-57. [More Information]
Barry, K., White, T., Rathnayake, D., Fabricant, S., Herberstein, M. (2015). Sexual signals for the colour-blind: cryptic female mantids signal quality through brightness. Functional Ecology, 29(4), 531-539. [More Information]
White, T., Zeil, J., Kemp, D. (2015). Signal design and courtship presentation coincide for highly biased delivery of an iridescent butterfly mating signal. Evolution, 69(1), 14-25. [More Information]
White, T., Kemp, D. (2015). Technicolour deceit: a sensory basis for the study of colour-based lures. Animal Behaviour, 105, 231-243. [More Information]
Kemp, D., White, T. (2014). Exploring the perceptual canvas of signal evolution: comment on Kelley and Kelley. Behavioral Ecology, 25(3), 467-468. [More Information]
White, T., Macedonia, J., Birch, D., Dawes, J., Kemp, D. (2012). The nanoanatomical basis of sexual dimorphism in iridescent butterfly colouration. Australian Journal of Zoology, 60(2), 101-107. [More Information]

show 54 more

Conferences

White, T. (2017). Light on the wing: iridescent visual signalling in butterflies. Australian Entomological Society 48th AGM and Scientific Conference, Terrigal, NSW: Australian Entomological Society.
White, T. (2015). Colour-polymorphic lures target different visual channels in prey. Behaviour, Cairns, QLD: Behaviour.
White, T., Herberstein, M., Kemp, D. (2014). Technicolor deceit: sensory drive and the evolution of colour-polymorphic prey lures. 15th International Behavioral Ecology Congress (ISBE), New York: ISBE.

By Year

Expand all

2024

White, T. (2024). Deceptive pollinator lures benefit from physical and perceptual proximity to flowers. Ecology and Evolution, 14(3). [More Information]
McCormick, J., White, T., Middleton, E., Latty, T. (2024). Information cascades spread adaptive and maladaptive behaviours in group-living animals. Animal Behaviour, 209, 53-62. [More Information]
Silvasti, S., Kemp, D., White, T., Nokelainen, O., Valkonen, J., Mappes, J. (2024). The flashy escape: support for dynamic flash coloration as anti-predator defence. Biology Letters, 20(7), 20240303. [More Information]

2023

Forster, C., Mourmourakis, F., Hochuli, D., White, T., Latty, T., Gloag, R. (2023). Flower choice by the stingless bee Tetragonula carbonaria is not influenced by colour-similarity to a higher-reward flower in the same patch. Apidologie, 54(2). [More Information]
Forster, C., Middleton, E., Gloag, R., Hochuli, D., White, T., Latty, T. (2023). Impact of empty flowers on foraging choice and movement within floral patches by the honey bee, Apis mellifera. Insectes Sociaux, 70(4), 413-422. [More Information]
Webster, G., White, T., Whiting, M. (2023). Male nuptial display colour and vocalisation appear to signal independent information in the whirring tree frog. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 77(6). [More Information]
Forster, C., Hochuli, D., Keith, R., Latty, T., White, T., Middleton, E. (2023). Social media conservation messaging mirrors age-old taxonomic biases in public domain. Austral Ecology. [More Information]
Lownds, R., Turbill, C., White, T., Umbers, K. (2023). The impact of elevated aestivation temperatures on the behaviour of bogong moths (Agrotis infusa). Journal of Thermal Biology, 113. [More Information]

show 2 more

2022

Grames, E., Montgomery, G., Boyes, D., Dicks, L., Forister, M., Matson, T., Nakagawa, S., Prendergast, K., Taylor, N., Tingley, M., White, T., et al (2022). A framework and case study to systematically identify long-term insect abundance and diversity datasets. Conservation Science and Practice, 4(6). [More Information]
Drinkwater, E., Allen, W., Endler, J., Hanlon, R., Holmes, G., Homziak, N., Kang, C., Leavell, B., Lehtonen, J., Loeffler-Henry, K., White, T., et al (2022). A synthesis of deimatic behaviour. Biological Reviews, 97(6), 2237-2267. [More Information]
Herringe, C., Middleton, E., Boyd, K., Latty, T., White, T. (2022). Benefits and costs of social foraging in velvet worms. Ethology, 128(3), 197-206. [More Information]
Kemp, D., Edwards, W., White, T. (2022). Captivating color: Evidence for optimal stimulus design in a polymorphic prey lure. Behavioral Ecology, 33(4), 670-678. [More Information]
Vanderstock, A., Grandi-Nagashiro, C., Kudo, G., Latty, T., Nakamura, S., White, T., Soga, M. (2022). For the love of insects: gardening grows positive emotions (biophilia) towards invertebrates. Journal of Insect Conservation, 26(5), 751-762. [More Information]
White, T., Locke, A., Latty, T. (2022). Heightened condition dependent expression of structural coloration in the faces, but not wings, of male and female flies. Current Zoology, 68(5), 600-607. [More Information]
White, T., Latty, T., Umbers, K. (2022). The exploitation of sexual signals by predators: A meta-Analysis. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 289(1976). [More Information]

show 4 more

2021

Tosetto, L., Williamson, J., White, T., Hart, N. (2021). Can the Dynamic Colouration and Patterning of Bluelined Goatfish (Mullidae; Upeneichthys lineatus) Be Perceived by Conspecifics? Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 96(3), 103-123. [More Information]
Ord, T., Blazek, K., White, T., Das, I. (2021). Conspicuous animal signals avoid the cost of predation by being intermittent or novel: confirmation in the wild using hundreds of robotic prey. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1952), 0706-1-0706-6. [More Information]
White, T., Latty, T. (2021). Flies improve the salience of iridescent sexual signals by orienting toward the sun. Behavioral Ecology, 31(6), 1401-1409. [More Information]
Saunders, M., Barton, P., Bickerstaff, J., Frost, L., Latty, T., Lessard, B., Lowe, E., Rodriguez, J., White, T., Umbers, K. (2021). Limited understanding of bushfire impacts on Australian invertebrates. Insect Conservation and Diversity, 14(3), 285-293. [More Information]
Butterworth, N., White, T., Byrne, P., Wallman, J. (2021). Love at first flight: wing interference patterns are species-specific and sexually dimorphic in blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 34(3), 558-570. [More Information]
White, T., Umbers, K. (2021). Meta-analytic evidence for quantitative honesty in aposematic signals. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1949), 20210679. [More Information]

show 3 more

2020

Whitney, K., Smith, A., White, T., Williams, C. (2020). Birds Perceive More Intraspecific Color Variation in Bird-Pollinated Than Bee-Pollinated Flowers. Frontiers in Plant Science, 11, 590347. [More Information]
White, T., Vogel-Ghibely, N., Butterworth, N. (2020). Flies exploit predictable perspectives and backgrounds to enhance iridescent signal salience and mating success. The American Naturalist, 195(4), 733-742. [More Information]
Harvey, J., Heinen, R., Armbrecht, I., Basset, Y., Baxter-Gilbert, J., Bezemer, T., Böhm, M., Bommarco, R., Borges, P., Cardoso, P., Latty, T., White, T., et al (2020). International scientists formulate a roadmap for insect conservation and recovery. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 4, 174-176. [More Information]
Dalrymple, R., Kemp, D., Flores-Moreno, H., Laffan, S., White, T., Hemmings, F., Moles, A. (2020). Macroecological patterns in flower colour are shaped by both biotic and abiotic factors. New Phytologist, 228(6), 1972-1985. [More Information]
Blamires, S., Little, D., White, T., Kane, D. (2020). Photoreflectance/scattering measurements of spider silks informed by standard optics. Royal Society Open Science, 7(4), 192174. [More Information]
White, T., Kemp, D. (2020). Spider lures exploit insect preferences for floral colour and symmetry. Evolutionary Ecology, 34(4), 543-553. [More Information]
White, T. (2020). Structural colours reflect individual quality: a meta-analysis. Biology Letters, 16(4), 1-7. [More Information]

show 4 more

2019

De Bona, S., White, T., Umbers, K. (2019). Fight or flight trade-offs and the defensive behaviour of the mountain katydid, Acripeza reticulata. Animal Behaviour, 159, 81-87. [More Information]
Paine, K., White, T., Whitney, K. (2019). Intraspecific floral color variation as perceived by pollinators and non-pollinators: evidence for pollinator-imposed constraints? Evolutionary Ecology, 33(4), 461-479. [More Information]
Gruson, H., White, T., Maia, R. (2019). lightr: import spectral data and metadata in R. The Journal of Open Source Software, 4(43), 1-4. [More Information]
O'Neill, S., White, T., Lynch, K., Kemp, D. (2019). Male guppies differ in daily frequency but not diel pattern of display under daily light changes. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 73(11), 1-12. [More Information]
Maia, R., Gruson, H., Endler, J., White, T. (2019). pavo 2: New tools for the spectral and spatial analysis of colour in R. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 10(7), 1097-1107. [More Information]
Blamires, S., Cerexhe, G., White, T., Herberstein, M., Kasumovic, M. (2019). Spider silk colour covaries with thermal properties but not protein structure. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 16(156), 1-9. [More Information]
Umbers, K., White, T., De Bona, S., Haff, T., Ryeland, J., Drinkwater, E., Mappes, J. (2019). The protective value of a defensive display varies with the experience of wild predators. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 1-8. [More Information]

show 4 more

2018

Dalrymple, R., Flores-Moreno, H., Kemp, D., White, T., Laffan, S., Hemmings, F., Hitchcock, T., Moles, A. (2018). Abiotic and biotic predictors of macroecological patterns in bird and butterfly coloration. Ecological Monographs, 88(2), 204-224. [More Information]
Maia, R., White, T. (2018). Comparing colors using visual models. Behavioural Ecology, 29(3), 649-659. [More Information]
Gray, M., Stansberry, M., Lynn, J., Williams, C., White, T., Whitney, K. (2018). Consistent shifts in pollinator-relevant floral coloration along Rocky Mountain elevation gradients. Journal of Ecology, 106(5), 1910-1924. [More Information]
White, T. (2018). Cryptic Coloration. In J. Vonk & T. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior, (pp. 1-3). Cham: Springer. [More Information]
White, T. (2018). Disruptive Coloration. In J. Vonk & T. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior, (pp. 1-3). Cham: Springer. [More Information]
White, T. (2018). Illuminating the Evolution of Iridescence. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 33(6), 374-375. [More Information]
Bulbert, M., White, T., Saporito, R., Kraus, F. (2018). Ontogenetic colour change in Oreophyrne ezra (Anura: Microhylidae) reflects an unusual shift from conspicuousness to crypsis but not in toxicity. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 123(1), 12-20. [More Information]
Lynch, K., White, T., Kemp, D. (2018). The effect of captive breeding upon adult thermal preference in the Queensland fruit fly (Bactrocera tryoni). Journal of Thermal Biology, 78, 290-297. [More Information]
O'Hanlon, J., White, T., Umbers, K. (2018). Visual Communication. In Alex Cordoba-Aguilar, Daniel Gonzalez-Tokman and Isaac Gonzalez-Santoyo (Eds.), Insect Behaviour: From Mechanisms to Ecological and Evolutionary Consequences, (pp. 158-173). Oxford: Oxford University Press. [More Information]

show 6 more

2017

White, T., Rojas, B., Mappes, J., Rautiala, P., Kemp, D. (2017). Colour and luminance contrasts predict the human detection of natural stimuli in complex visual environments. Biology Letters, 13(9), 1-5. [More Information]
White, T., Kemp, D. (2017). Colour polymorphic lures exploit innate preferences for spectral versus luminance cues in dipteran prey. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 17(1), 1-10. [More Information]
Umbers, K., De Bona, S., White, T., Lehtonen, J., Mappes, J., Endler, J. (2017). Deimatism: a neglected component of antipredator defence. Biology Letters, 13(4), 1-5. [More Information]
Hose, G., Fryirs, K., Bailey, J., Ashby, N., White, T., Stumpp, C. (2017). Different depths, different fauna: habitat influences on the distribution of groundwater invertebrates. Hydrobiologia, 797(1), 145-157. [More Information]
White, T. (2017). Digest: Strengthening the link between sexual selection and color polymorphism. Evolution, 71(7), 1913-1914. [More Information]
White, T. (2017). Jewelled spiders manipulate colour-lure geometry to deceive prey. Biology Letters, 13(3), 1-5. [More Information]
White, T. (2017). Light on the wing: iridescent visual signalling in butterflies. Australian Entomological Society 48th AGM and Scientific Conference, Terrigal, NSW: Australian Entomological Society.
White, T., Dalrymple, R., Herberstein, M., Kemp, D. (2017). The perceptual similarity of orb-spider prey lures and flower colours. Evolutionary Ecology, 31(1), 1-20. [More Information]

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2016

White, T., Kemp, D. (2016). Color polymorphic lures target different visual channels in prey. Evolution, 70(6), 1398-1408. [More Information]
White, T., Kemp, D. (2016). Colour polymorphism. Current Biology, 26(13), R516-R518. [More Information]

2015

Dalrymple, R., Kemp, D., Flores-Moreno, H., Laffan, S., White, T., Hemmings, F., Tindall, M., Moles, A. (2015). Birds, butterflies, and flowers in the tropics are not more colourful than those in higher latitudes. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 24(12), 1424-1432. [More Information]
White, T. (2015). Colour-polymorphic lures target different visual channels in prey. Behaviour, Cairns, QLD: Behaviour.
White, T., Dalrymple, R., Noble, D., O'Hanlon, J., Zurek, D., Umbers, K. (2015). Reproducible research in the study of biological coloration. Animal Behaviour, 106, 51-57. [More Information]
Barry, K., White, T., Rathnayake, D., Fabricant, S., Herberstein, M. (2015). Sexual signals for the colour-blind: cryptic female mantids signal quality through brightness. Functional Ecology, 29(4), 531-539. [More Information]
White, T., Zeil, J., Kemp, D. (2015). Signal design and courtship presentation coincide for highly biased delivery of an iridescent butterfly mating signal. Evolution, 69(1), 14-25. [More Information]
White, T., Kemp, D. (2015). Technicolour deceit: a sensory basis for the study of colour-based lures. Animal Behaviour, 105, 231-243. [More Information]

show 3 more

2014

Kemp, D., White, T. (2014). Exploring the perceptual canvas of signal evolution: comment on Kelley and Kelley. Behavioral Ecology, 25(3), 467-468. [More Information]
White, T., Herberstein, M., Kemp, D. (2014). Technicolor deceit: sensory drive and the evolution of colour-polymorphic prey lures. 15th International Behavioral Ecology Congress (ISBE), New York: ISBE.

2012

White, T., Macedonia, J., Birch, D., Dawes, J., Kemp, D. (2012). The nanoanatomical basis of sexual dimorphism in iridescent butterfly colouration. Australian Journal of Zoology, 60(2), 101-107. [More Information]

Selected Grants

2024

Do Insects Feel Pain?, White T, Australia & Pacific Science Foundation/Research Project Grant

2020

Illuminating the function and evolution of iridescence, White T, Latty T, Hermon Slade Foundation/Research Grants

Faculty of Science

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Dr Thomas White

Publications

By Type

By Year

Selected Grants

2024

2020

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